Self Occeptance In Gary Soto's 'La Bamba'

In “La Bamba” by Gary Soto, the symbols in the text point to the theme which is that worrying can cause things to not go as planned but things can take a turn for the better. One of the symbols in this text is how people view Manuel. This is a symbol because throughout the story Manuel constantly worries about how people view him and what people think of him. In the story Manuel worried about not messing up and making sure everything went as planned because he wants to impress people and make people think he is cool. When people used words such as “funny,” “crazy,” and “hilarious” to describe his performance and when people enjoyed it everything took a turn for the better. Even though Manuel thought his performance was bad at first but when other people told him that they liked his performance, he liked it too.

They are obviously used to show that Soto is nervous and moving around quickly because there is a lot of action going on at the time. However, in the some of the last paragraphs there are many more complex sentences, which are used to show that Soto has returned to his state of boredom and also to express that there is not much going on inside Soto’s head..

One event that displays this is when the boy in the jacket explains how he has been made fun of before this situation. In “The Jacket” Soto says this “ My clothes have failed me. I remember the green coat that I wore in fifth and sixth grade when you either danced like a champ or pressed yourself against a greasy wall.” This reveals that the boy has struggled with this before and his struggle and conflict continues to grow. In addition, Soto shows the beginning, main conflict when the boy sees the jacket for the first time.

First the symbolism in “la bamba” supports the overall theme : That failure is a part of our life. In fact, Manuel is super scared to mess up,soto says “In bed he prayed he wouldn't mess up. ”This shows that he is scared to fail in his talent show. Even though that failure is a part of his life.

In the article, “Changes in Self Esteem During Middle School Year”, it gives information about self esteem, and what effects it, which insinuates that self esteem is a recurring problem in middle schools. “...ethnicity, social class, gender, and social contexts can lead to changes in self esteem,” says the author. This quote shows that many factors influence changes in self esteem. These factors include dating, although it isn’t mentioned. Dating violence can strongly influence a person’s self esteem. “Gender can also effect changes in self esteem during the adolescent years. Girls consistently experience sharper declines than boys in self esteem.” This quote goes into greater detail about how gender can influence self esteem. Sometimes this

Confidence is being self assured, believing in yourself. It’s feeling that no one can turn yourself down, because of your uniqueness and diverseness. However the boy in “The Jacket” is not confident in himself. He is constantly worrying about what other people say. “I looked ugly. I threw it on my brother’s bed and looked at it for a long time.” If the boy did not worry about the jacket and what others thought he would not have had “bad years” in his life.” In Gary Soto’s “The Jacket” he uses the literary elements of characterization, metaphors and plot to support the overarching theme: Don’t worry about what other people think because everyone is unique.

Feeling like an outsider can affect the way someone view the world or how they think the world views them. In the essay “How to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, or Halfie,” by Junot Diaz, this theme of alienation is apparent as he tells of a teenager who changed where he lived and how he acted in order to fit in. Throughout the essay, girls of different ethnicities are brought back to Yunior’s apartment and react to Yunior’s actions by responding how a typical girl of that ethnical race would respond according to Yunior’s speculation/experience. By changing the arrangement of his room, his actions, and by explaining his interpretation of different ethnical girl’s reactions, Diaz conveys his theme of “otherness.”

After reading several of Gary Soto's poems, it became clear to me that his style of poetry is one that is indirect and truly makes the reader stop and guess at what the true meaning of the poem is. This poem, "Heaven", is no different. Everyone questions what Heaven is, what it is like, or whether it even exists. Soto takes this uncertain topic and uses it as fuel to create a poem that allows for the reader to analyze in any way, shape, or form that he or she chooses. Soto begins the poem with a long, drawn out sentence describing the journey to Heaven and the initial experiences one has in it.

Manuel yearns for the limelight, but will he let the nervousness inside him and the constant mistakes keep him from trying something new to achieve a limelight? In “La Bamba” by Gary Soto Manuel is a young boy that found this need for attention inside of him that made himself volunteer for the talent show. What Manuel doesn’t figure out until the end is that mistakes are a part of trying something new like performing “La Bamba” at the talent show. The theme of not letting the mistakes of trying something new get in your way of achieving a new goal is supported by the conflict, symbolism and characterization.

He extinguishes the students’ lives of light and hope. ‘Creí que encontraría a mis vedaderos compañeros. No a unos ilusos.’ Ignacio believes that he has been cursed in life with his disability of being blind and tries to share his dark feelings of depression with his fellow students. But to his surprise they have positive hopes and dreams for their future and believe that they can have lives just like everyone else in the real world. In Ignacio’s opinion the students have been ‘envenenados de alegría.’

Our education system is perhaps one of the most complex institutions in the United States. Students are taught to be their most authentic selves but yet are told to think a certain way. In reality, students really don’t have the freedom to be their genuine identity. Our society tells us that a typical student speaks the language, excels in all areas of study, and loves to read. Children who do not fit this mold are often at a disadvantage and do not attain the same acceptance. In the essay, “Achievement of Desire” Richard Rodriguez was a first generation immigrant from Mexico. His parents spoke little English, and had no education. Automatically, his family is an outcast. Throughout Rodriguez’s schooling career he learned to fit the perfect mold of the “typical” American student. He finds himself to be in an internal struggle between social versus family isolation, authenticity and finding his place in the American society.

The townspeople imagine how Esteban’s living space and family must of been just by looking at him, since he is the most handsomest man they have ever seen. However, the townspeople do not realize that someone's beauty does not show how they must have lived when they were alive.

Getting laughed at or making a fool of yourself is something every person tries to avoid. Whether it’s presenting a project, trying out for the soccer team, or even starting a trend trend, we all want everything to turn out perfect. In Manuels case, he wants to step out of his comfort zone, yet his idea of “perfection” is not close to what he is expecting, he experiences many errors throughout the story of “La Bamba”. The author of Manuels story, Gary Soto, uses elements such as rising action, symbolism, and also uses conflict to support the overarching theme; mistakes are a part of trying new things.

Acceptance is part of life at all stages. As teenagers, we try to fit in with everyone else by liking the same music or wearing the same clothes. As adults, we try our hardest to please people to get jobs or find a life partner. Even as young children and toddlers, we seek acceptance. There is a reason that young children always seek their parent’s approval for everything they do. Whether it is an art project, a good grade, or simply waving at a parent every time the child goes around a carousel, children are always seeking approval. As children, we all want to make our parents proud by our achievements. Acceptance is a key part of growing up and plays a crucial role in determining personality.

Manuel serves as a middle man in the story like a mediator or referee. Since he speaks both English and Spanish/Portuguese and is not poor like the little boy and not rich like the Americans. We can assume they have wealth because the tourists are described as being well put together while the boy is described as dirty and grubby. Manuel is in the middle of both circumstances since he has a place to live and can support his child but is seen contemplating the struggle to pay for rent.